Questions to Ask When Evaluating Security Systems for Your School, Office, or Business
Security systems are a part of your overall security strategy, which should include sufficient security resource officers (SRO), training of staff in safety protocols, comprehensive evacuation plans, and appropriate technology and physical barriers to target-harden your premises and deter potential threats.
Unfortunately, a threat actor only needs to find one entry point, one weak link. In the case of an active shooter, seconds count. Current security systems are reactive; alarms go off only after the perpetrator breaks in. They often depend on desperate 911 calls from victims to alert authorities. It is far better to be proactive and identify a potential threat before shots are fired, to lock down the premises, and give law enforcement the critical intelligence they need to neutralize the threat as quickly as possible.
Take the time to ask yourself critical questions in order to determine what you need to safeguard the lives of your people.
Evaluation of your particular situation
What specific security concerns do you have? Make a comprehensive list of threats, both probable and improbable.
Who are potential threat actors: students? disgruntled employees? visitors to your location? Consider situations and locations that might pose opportunities for threat actors.
Do you have protocols and procedures in place? Are your staff and employees fully aware of safety protocols? Are they implementing them? Human error is often all a malefactor needs to get past security and cause harm.
Physical premises vulnerability assessment
Do your parking areas and the exterior of your building have sufficient lighting?
Are there any bushes or other structures that offer cover for perpetrators and act as visual obstacles for cameras?
Are there sufficient locks and security bars on windows and doors? Are there alarm systems on these entrance points, with clear warnings to this effect?
For larger facilities, is it possible to lock down wings to prevent malefactors from moving about freely?
Are alarm systems connected to emergency response call centers?
Do you have sufficient security cameras to cover all entrances, halls, and rooms of your facility? Where could perpetrators hide inside your facility and how can you eliminate that hiding place?
Security efficiency assessment
Do your security cameras have a fail-safe system of alerting SROs, your administrators, and 1st responders the moment a firearm is detected?
How quickly will the system alert SROs and the emergency call center that a threat has been detected? Security needs to be able to respond within seconds, even before shots are fired, in order to set into motion protocols that can lead people to safety and lock down the threat actor.
Does the system you are using have a secure communication system between on-site security and first responders? Those responding to the emergency need to be able to communicate and coordinate rapid action.
Will the system provide security with real-time intelligence so they know exactly who the threat actors are, where they are, and what they are doing at any moment?
These are just some of the critical questions you need to ask yourself as you evaluate your level of risk and the best technological and physical barriers as well as protocols you need to target-harden your school, business, or office and safeguard the lives of those who have been entrusted to you.
As former Navy SEALs, we have dedicated our lives to using our hands-on combat experience to give you and your security personnel the military-level technology you need to win the war against violence in schools and the workplace.
Our gun-detection video analytics technology layers onto your current security camera network, alerting authorities and administrators within 3 seconds of detecting a gun. ZeroEyes provides real-time tracking of threat actors, giving police and security the combat-level intel they need to quickly find and neutralize their target. Contact us here at ZeroEyes to discuss how we can help you.
